CHAPTER 5
Eve
I looked over at Brad as he drove us away from Billie’s house. “Well, that was fun.”
He scowled. “We shouldn’t have left Billie with that asshole.”
I glanced out the back window at Billie’s house and smiled. I had a pretty good idea Billie was going to be getting her rocks off by the time we reached the highway to Last Chance. One of her bosses seemed to have the hots for her in a major way and judging at how he’d scooped Billie up and carried her inside, he was going to have his way with her. Judging by the way Billie lit up when she saw him, she was going to love it.
“I think she’s fine. Sorry your plans got crashed, though. You weren’t exactly subtle tonight.” I’d endured too much time watching him flirt with Billie. No matter how many swigs I took of the whiskey they passed around, I couldn’t ignore the way the sexual energy made me think of my afternoon.
“You always did tell it like it was. Except about Billie’s dad. I didn’t expect that.” He laughed, already over losing his shot at Billie. “How are you doing anyway? Billie said you moved back to help take care of Sheriff Hank?”
I clenched my hands together between my knees. “Yeah. He’s okay, though.”
“Touchy subject?”
I blew out a shaky breath and reminded myself Brad had been a decent friend at one point in my life. “Yeah. I’m sorry, Brad. You know Grandpa has always been everything to me. Seeing him struggle isn’t easy.”
He nodded. “I get it. Is there anything I can do?”
“Can you make a stubborn old man go to the doctor and then do as the doctor says?” I rested my head against the window and stared up at the darkening sky. “You didn’t just come back for Billie, right?”
He let out a bark of laughter. “Jesus, Eve. Go easy on a guy. No. I didn’t just come back for Billie. I wanted to work the ranch, but I don’t suspect that’s going to happen now. I just need a reset. Life hasn’t been kind lately.”
“You’re preaching to the choir.” I sat up and turned in my seat to face him. “If anyone in town offers you watermelon lube, don’t take it. Okay?”
His eyebrows climbed up his forehead. “I’m sorry?”
“Consider this life being kinder. Just don’t use any watermelon lube.”
“There’s a story there, I’m assuming.” He glanced over at me and grinned at whatever he saw on my face. “How much liquor do I need to give you to hear that story?”
“I’d die of alcohol poisoning before I uttered a single word.” I saw the lights of the cabins in the distance and felt the same nervous energy I always felt when I saw the guys next door were home. The few feet from my car to the cabin door stretched for miles when I was worried I’d get caught by one of them and have to behave like a normal human being. Although, that idea was out the window after Aliengate.
“Is someone staying at the other cabin?” Brad drove slowly down the driveway, watching out for potholes.
“Yeah. Grandpa rented it out.” I could see the guys moving around in the cabin through the massive front windows. “Thanks for driving me home, Brad. I know this isn’t how you wanted to end your night.”
He rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry about it. I was hoping you were in town for a visit at least when I came back. I’m glad we’re getting to hang out.”
I was going to get out and run as soon as he parked, but he was already opening his door and getting out. I didn’t want to be rude so I just decided I’d get us both inside as fast as possible. I was a tiny bit tipsy, though, and I forgot the door was broken so I stupidly dug around in my purse looking for the keys.
“Is Sheriff Hank here? I’d love to see if he remembers threatening to throw me under the jail if I ever sped down his driveway again.” Brad waited on the step below me, oblivious to my nervous energy. “Or the time he threatened to throw me under the jail if I ever dropped you off ten minutes late again. He was a lot of fun.”
“Is everything okay here?” Tate’s voice was deeper and more authoritative when it came out of nowhere in the middle of the night. “Eve?”
I jumped and then made an awkward sound as I backed into the broken door and it swung open. “Dammit.”
Brad looked between me and Tate and held up his hands. “I’ve been threatened once tonight. I’m out. I’ll see you around, Eve. I’m staying at the little cabins in Lilyfield if you want to stop by.”
“Brad, no, you don’t…” I groaned. “Okay, then.”
Tate watched me as I watched Brad leave. “Boyfriend? He seems a bit…fearful?”
“He’s a friend from childhood and he almost got beat up tonight for hitting on someone else’s love interest.” I held the sides of my messy purse together and forced a smile. “Okay. Well, goodnight.”
I pushed into the cabin and found Tate coming in behind me. He smirked at me when I gawked at him. “What? I can’t just not check out the cabin. What if a bear came in while you were gone?”
I put my purse down on the kitchen counter. “A bear? In this cabin?”
His smile stretched wider. “You never know.”
I didn’t want to face him after Aliengate but I also liked the buzz of adrenaline I felt with him in the cabin. I was asking for trouble. “See any bears?”
He glanced down at something and when he looked back up at me, his eyes were practically twinkling with mischief. “No bears but a lot of abandoned sex toys.”